Plastic-Heavy
Medical packaging contributes a significant share of clinical plastic waste streams across NHS sites.
About
About EcoNanoMed
A healthcare sustainability venture rethinking sterile packaging from material science upward.
Our story
Founded by Suren Ghale and Anil Gurung to address one of the most urgent challenges in modern healthcare — the growing environmental and financial burden of single-use medical plastic waste. EcoNanoMed aims to transform healthcare packaging by developing biodegradable, high-performance nanocellulose-based materials suitable for medical and healthcare applications.
We are building a material platform that can meet the rigorous demands of sterile barrier systems while supporting institutional decarbonisation commitments across the UK healthcare estate.
Mission
To displace single-use petroleum plastics in sterile medical packaging with safe, validated, nature-derived alternatives.
The challenge
The problem with medical packaging
Hospitals across the UK generate substantial volumes of single-use plastic packaging every day. The materials in use today are difficult to recycle, expensive to dispose of, and structurally misaligned with the NHS Net Zero roadmap.
Hard to Recycle
Multi-layer films and mixed polymers make conventional recycling routes impractical.
Costly Disposal
Clinical waste incineration carries high financial and environmental cost per tonne.
Misaligned with Net Zero
Petroleum-based materials are at odds with NHS decarbonisation and procurement goals.
Material rationale
Why nanocellulose?
Nanocellulose is a renewable, plant-derived nanomaterial with mechanical and barrier properties competitive with conventional plastics — and with a biodegradation profile that suits clinical waste pathways.
- High strength-to-weight performance
- Biodegradability
- Renewable sourcing
- Strong oxygen barrier potential
- Compatibility with coating technologies
- Reduced dependence on petroleum-based plastics